Improvement in railroad-gates



UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

' SIMON P. BOSTON, OF BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

' IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 88,514, dated March20, 1877; application filed February 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON P. BOSTON, of Bloomsburg, in the county ofColumbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and valuableImprovement in Railroad-Grates; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a side view, partsectional, of my railroadgate; and Fig. 2.is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3is a detail view of the same.

This invention relates to railroad-gates used for preventing stock frompassing up and down the track; and it consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of the parts hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates the rails of an ordinaryrailroad-track, and B designates the cross-ties thereof. 0 designatestwo long bars, which are arranged just outside of said rails A, and alittle above the same, said bars being supported by helical springs D,that rest on said cross-ties B. Each end of said bars 0 is beveled ontop at c, as shown in Fig. 1.

To the under sides of said bars are secured blocks or short standards E,two of said blocks or standards being arranged near each end of each bar0. The lower end of each block or standard E is pivoted to the cleftouter end f of a horizontal crank-arm, F, Fig. 3, formed upon orattached rigidly to a rock-shaft, G, extending across therailroad-track. These rock-shafts arefour in number, two of them beingarranged near each end of the apparatus, and they are journaled inbearings H on each side of the railroad-track. The outer ends of saidshafts G are provided with vertical crank-arms I, and each pair of saidcrank-arms I, at each corner of the apparatus, is provided with across-bar, J, connecting their upper ends, so as to make them movetogether. The upper end of the outer crank-arm of the pair of arms I, atone corner of the apparatus, is connected by means of an obliquelink-bar or connecting-rod, K, to the face of a disk, L, below thecenter thereof. The outer crank-arm I of the other pair, on the sameside of said track, is similarly connected, by bar or rod K, to disk orwheel L at a point above the center thereof. The corresponding pairs ofsaid arms I on the opposite side of said track are correspondinglyconnected to another disk, L, similar to L. These disks L and L are on arock shaft, M, which carries a gate, N. When said shaft M is turned inone direction said gate N lies flat upon the track, offering noobstruction to trains passing over the latter. When said shaft is turnedin the other direction said gate is raised into a vertical position, asshown in the drawings, so as to prevent the passage of live stock.

The operation of the above-described devices is as follows: On theapproach of a train from either direction the flanges of thelocomotive-wheels and car-wheels strike against the inclines c c at thenearer ends of bars 0, and ride upon said bars, depressing the same. Thesaid bars U, by means of standards E, then transmit this downwardpressure to crank-arm F, rocking the shafts G and crankarms I, so as todraw link-bars or connecting-rods K K in opposite directions, therebyrocking the shaft M, so as to fold down the said gate N upon the trackahead of the locomotive. The said gate is kept thus folded down untilthe train has entirely passed, by reason of the pressure of the flangesof the successive wheels upon said bars 0, the springs D beingcompressed thereby. As soon as the train has passed, the said springsraise bars 0, reversing the above-described action of the various partsof the apparatus, and replacing gate N in a vertical position, so as toprevent the passage of live stock. Said gate is held upright by saidsprings until depressed by the action of the wheel-flanges, asdescribed.

The springs D may be of rubber instead of metal, or may be of metalhaving a different form from that shown. A single shaft, G, may be usedat each end of the apparatus, instead of the two such shafts shown ateach end thereof, one-half of the crank-arms F and I and all thecross-bars J being discarded. The arrangement above described and shownis, however, stronger than this modification would be.

the bars (J, having springs D, in combination with the rock-shafts G M,connecting-rods J I K K, and disks L L, substantially as described, andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witpesses.

SIMON P. BOSTON.

Witnesses:

F. OOOLEY, 0. B. BROOKWAY.

